Driving Licence

[yasmar]

dear members,in baan suan place vilhit muang there is a company were you can get international driving licence/permit just need i d l does any one know anything about this company.

i am in bangkok at present time so cont check it out my self..

many thanks for any help..

yasmar.

[markuk]

just get a Thai licence.

[Totster]

dear members,in baan suan place vilhit muang there is a company were you can get international driving licence/permit just need i d l does any one know anything about this company.

i am in bangkok at present time so cont check it out my self..

many thanks for any help..

yasmar.

I would imagine that what they are offering is not a "legal" document.

totster

[markg]

Jesus are those guys still operating?

OK - i emailed them myself and they said it was all legal and above board and as such you could go to the Thai driving licence office and swap it for a real thai driving licence. I have since heard that in fact the Thai driving licence place will NOT do that. However, if you have a real international driving permit, and a non immigrant visa, they will swap it.

I have seen one of these licences and whilst they pupport to be from the american licencing office, they are infact nothing to do with any official government organisation.

Be interesting to hear other peoples comments on if they have used this IDP legally, e.g. did they manage to get a thai driving licence with it, or if they had a crash, did the insurance company accept it as a legal document.

I personally have a proper thai driving licence. It pisses the cops off so much when they stop me as they cant get any money from me.

Its a piece of piss to get. Laughably easy really, though it does take about a day with all the waiting around.

[taxin]

Jesus are those guys still operating?

OK - i emailed them myself and they said it was all legal and above board and as such you could go to the Thai driving licence office and swap it for a real thai driving licence. I have since heard that in fact the Thai driving licence place will NOT do that. However, if you have a real international driving permit, and a non immigrant visa, they will swap it.

I have seen one of these licences and whilst they pupport to be from the american licencing office, they are infact nothing to do with any official government organisation.

Be interesting to hear other peoples comments on if they have used this IDP legally, e.g. did they manage to get a thai driving licence with it, or if they had a crash, did the insurance company accept it as a legal document.

I personally have a proper thai driving licence. It pisses the cops off so much when they stop me as they cant get any money from me.

Its a piece of piss to get. Laughably easy really, though it does take about a day with all the waiting around.

Even better when you get the purple one ! As you can only have this after the 12 month "green" one expires the cops respect you even more, simply because you have gone through the hassle twice !!

The purple one they even apoligise for stopping you !!

[helicoptor]

I personally have a proper thai driving licence. It pisses the cops off so much when they stop me as they cant get any money from me.

I have my international driving licence, this i have been told is all I need together with my NON-B o obtain a thai licence - so once you got your thai licence and the police stop you - you dont need to pay tea money -?

[taxin]

I personally have a proper thai driving licence. It pisses the cops off so much when they stop me as they cant get any money from me.

I have my international driving licence, this i have been told is all I need together with my NON-B o obtain a thai licence - so once you got your thai licence and the police stop you - you dont need to pay tea money -?

Its quite simple, you pay tea money if the cop doesnt understand or recognise the license you have, genuine or not. If its not written in Thai its all down to how the copper feels and how big your smile is !

Get a Thai one if you live here !

[yasmar]

Jesus are those guys still operating?

OK - i emailed them myself and they said it was all legal and above board and as such you could go to the Thai driving licence office and swap it for a real thai driving licence. I have since heard that in fact the Thai driving licence place will NOT do that. However, if you have a real international driving permit, and a non immigrant visa, they will swap it.

I have seen one of these licences and whilst they pupport to be from the american licencing office, they are infact nothing to do with any official government organisation.

Be interesting to hear other peoples comments on if they have used this IDP legally, e.g. did they manage to get a thai driving licence with it, or if they had a crash, did the insurance company accept it as a legal document.

I personally have a proper thai driving licence. It pisses the cops off so much when they stop me as they cant get any money from me.

Its a piece of piss to get. Laughably easy really, though it does take about a day with all the waiting around.

mate if you cont speak thai how can you do the test.

thanks for any help..

[markg]

Easy ish in Phuket.

There is a sticky thread somewhere about how to get it.

anyway - you do the test in English but when i did it, some of the questions were ambiguous. However, after i did my peripheral and colour blindness tests (in English), i read the book they gave me on signs etc, then did the test. But it was nearly lunchtime, so 5 mins after i started it, they ALL went off to lunch. SO i just rang up my friends and they gave me their best guess at the answers.

12 months after the green licence, you get the 5 year purple one - so definitely no tea money as long as you are wearing your helmet and all the sa-tickers on your bike are in date.

If you have a genuine home grown international driving permit, available online now from the RAC, you can get that converted into a Thai licence without all the arse of the tests.

It definitely is worth it.

I smile a big smug one when i run into a road block and flip out the purple one !

One mate of mine toured round LOOKING for road blocks when he got his first licence !

[kasi]

The drivers license situation here is comical.

I went for a couple of years just using an Alaska ID card. I would smile sawadee krap the officer and help him read my license, when I read the "ID" I would say international driver license.

Now I have a Thai DL for a car.(I neglected to get it for a a motorcycle too)

Usually they just stop and check motorbikes. My Thai car license usually get me through. Only once did the officer actually read my license an get me for 300 Baht.

I see so many tourists getting bent out of shape over it all. They don't realize the Police prey on the Thai people here almost equally.

300 baht isn't chump change if you're only making 8000 baht a month.

[markg]

I see so many tourists getting bent out of shape over it all. They don't realize the Police prey on the Thai people here almost equally.

300 baht isn't chump change if you're only making 8000 baht a month.

Good point - i would certainly say that the cops dont specifically target tourists.

The cops here arent racist - they hate everyone equally.

[smartecosse]

the phuket transport office accept uk dl's as International ones - no need for the tests

[markuk]

Jesus are those guys still operating?

OK - i emailed them myself and they said it was all legal and above board and as such you could go to the Thai driving licence office and swap it for a real thai driving licence. I have since heard that in fact the Thai driving licence place will NOT do that. However, if you have a real international driving permit, and a non immigrant visa, they will swap it.

I have seen one of these licences and whilst they pupport to be from the american licencing office, they are infact nothing to do with any official government organisation.

Be interesting to hear other peoples comments on if they have used this IDP legally, e.g. did they manage to get a thai driving licence with it, or if they had a crash, did the insurance company accept it as a legal document.

I personally have a proper thai driving licence. It pisses the cops off so much when they stop me as they cant get any money from me.

Its a piece of piss to get. Laughably easy really, though it does take about a day with all the waiting around.

in bangkok u can get one in about an hour, luckily i have the 5 year one.

[markg]

in bangkok u can get one in about an hour, luckily i have the 5 year one.

Can you clarify what you are talking about? The Thai licence or the alleged international driving permit? Reason i ask is that the IDP's the OP was talking about in Phuket are valid for 5 years.

Problem with the Thai licence at the Phuket office is that there is only 1 guy doing the peripheral vision and colour blindness tests. Alone and on his own. It gets busy. You take a number and a place in the line. Not everyone is gonna get done that day. That is gonna take you up until 11.30am ish. Then you watch the video on safety, or if you re farang, you read the book on roadsigns. Then you take the test. If you pass that, you go for the hilarious "driving test" which in phuket consists of driving around a simulated urban environment. Basically a road system in a small car park. There is a roundabout, a t-junction and a small hill. Its got everything really. About 10 or 15 bikes and cars do this test at the same time, and the same guy who did the eye tests sits in a tennis umpires chair with a clip board. Jesus, its almost impossible to fail. Unless you are american of course. They dont know about roundabouts. Its <deleted> hilarious. If you re ever bored in Phuket - get yourself down to the vehicle testing centre of an afternoon to while away a couple of sober hours and hit upon the Rajaphat girls.